NFL YTD Red Zone Target Stats: Somewhere Over the Dwaynebow

Precision or the Bomb

Long touchdown catches are why I get out of bed in the morning.  They're why Mike Wallace and DeSean Jackson are two of my starters this year.  Outside of those two and maybe a couple of other speedsters, if you are a fantasy pass catcher that's not getting the target-love from your QB inside the 20, your numbers are going to suffer. 

To that end, my friend (we'll call him Whack) has taken the time and dedication each week to pour through ESPN.com's game-cast every week (all games) to bring you a stat chart that is not readily available in cyberspace as far as I know; Targets in the Red Zone.  I have taken the liberty of adding a little color to the landscape.

**Alert*** Jabar Gaffney owners—what's going on?  12 red zone (RZ) targets on the season, but he's in the midst of a three week drought.  Meanwhile, Brandon Lloyd, Demaryius Thomas, Eddie Royal, Daniel Graham, and Knowshon Moreno have combined for 11 RZ targets over the same time-frame.  I'm not convinced that this trend will continue as Coach McDaniel's' mission is to spread the love on this team.  Don't go relegating Gaffney to the bench just yet.

It's common news at this point, but what a shame that RZ target leader Hakeem Nicks (a meal ticket for many fantasy squads in 2010) is on the shelf for at least the rest of the run up to the playoffs, and possibly longer.  This is terrible news for Eli Manning owners, too.  Nicks has twice as many RZ TDs as the next closest G-man pass catcher (Steve Smith), and accordingly, almost double the RZ targets. 

Terrell Owens, who is tied for first in RZ targets (with Nicks), has seen at least one RZ target in every game save for the first game vs. the Patriots.  No other pass catcher in the league can claim that steady of a flow.  What's he got over Carson Palmer?  Hmmmm.

Roddy White just had his six game-with-at-least-one-RZ-target streak snapped this past weekend.  He's only got two over the last three weeks.  He's seeing double and triple teams, and this has opened up the holes for Michael Turner (three of his last four games have gone for over 100 yards and five total TDs).

James Jones continues to establish himself as the No. 2 target for the Green Bay Packers.  He's tied for 23rd in the NFL in RZ targets, including four over the past two games.  Driver is one of my favorite NFL 'ballers, but his days are waning and he's still hobbling around on a quadriceps injury. 

Santonio Holmes was not targeted one time inside the opponents 20 from weeks 6-9, but has all of the sudden notched five over the last two games turning one into a score.  Sanchez and Holmes' rapport from this summer is finally translating on the field.  The Jets are going to be very tough to beat once Revis gets back to full strength. 

and finally... Could another rookie be taking over in Indianapolis? Last year we saw Peyton Manning turn Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon into fantasy pickup gold.  This year, though, Garcon is doing his best to blow a huge opportunity to ensconce himself as the undisputed No. 2 target, Collie is injured, and rookie Blair White could now be making his move.  He turned two of his three RZ targets into 6's in a huge game.  What's more?  Both came in crunch time as Peyton Manning was mounting a (failed) fourth quarter comeback.   Manning doesn't forget.  Grab Blair White for the stretch run.

*We ranked the below table by most RZ targets over the past three weeks.  As always, the final column represents RZ touchdowns only.  The RZ is defined as inside your opponents 20 yard line.

rank	Player	Team	Pos	Week 1-8	Week 9	Week 10	Week 11	3 week trend	Total RZ Targets	Total RZ TDs
1	Dwayne Bowe	Kansas City	WR	5	3	3	1	7	12	5
2	Jason Avant	Philadelphia	WR	5	3	2	2	7	12	2
3	Earl Bennett	Chicago	WR	5	2	4	1	7	12	1
4	Hakeem Nicks	NY Giants	WR	9	4	1	1	6	15	6
5	Greg Olsen	Chicago	TE	5	2	3	1	6	11	3
6	Jacob Tamme	Indianapolis	TE	2	2	3	1	6	8	2
7	Mario Manningham	NY Giants	WR	2	1	5	0	6	8	1
8	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia	WR	1	2	0	4	6	7	1
9	Calvin Johnson	Detroit	WR	8	1	2	2	5	13	7
10	Steve Johnson	Buffalo	WR	6	1	1	3	5	11	5
11	Terrell Owens	Cincinnati	WR	10	2	1	2	5	15	4
12	Dustin Keller	NY Jets	TE	9	0	1	4	5	14	4
13	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona	WR	8	0	4	1	5	13	4
14	Marques Colston	New Orleans	WR	10	1	0	4	5	15	2
15	Mike Williams	Seattle	WR	7	1	4	0	5	12	1
16	Santonio Holmes	Pittsburgh	WR	0	0	3	2	5	5	1
17	Greg Jennings	Green Bay	WR	7	2	Bye	2	4	11	5
18	Rob Gronkowski	New England	TE	3	2	2	0	4	7	5
19	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta	TE	8	1	0	3	4	12	3
20	Aaron Hernandez	New England	TE	5	3	0	1	4	9	3
21	Brian Finneran	Atlanta	WR	4	1	1	2	4	8	3
22	Blair White	Indianapolis	WR	3	1	0	3	4	7	3
23	James Jones	Green Bay	WR	7	3	Bye	1	4	11	2
24	Lee Evans	Buffalo	WR	5	2	0	2	4	9	2
25	Tony Moeaki	Kansas City	TE	5	2	2	0	4	9	2

Stats for 26-200 can be found at FFArmory.com!